Despite the Stanford Cardinal establishing themselves as a Pac 12contender over the last few seasons, the team was having trouble filling the 50,000-seat Stanford Stadium in 2012. Even while the Cardinal was making a run to the Pac 12 title, attendance numbers dropped from 2011. While there were plenty of reasons for it (no Andrew Luck), it was a shame to see Stanford’s fan base fail to rally around the program. Fortunately, that won’t be happening again in 2013.

For the first time in the school’s history, Stanford has sold out its allotment of season tickets. The school announced they had capped season tickets at a record 33,000 sold. Add in the 5,000 tickets allotted to students, and Stanford should be able to count on a minimum of 38,000 fans at every home game. A limited number of single-game tickets will start selling August 1, but they likely won’t stick around long.

This is great news for a program that has really solidified itself as a Pac 12 power. Head coach David Shaw has won back-to-back Pac 12 Coach of the Year awards as he’s led the Cardinal to two straight BCS bowls, including this year’s Rose Bowl. Their 20-14 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers gave Stanford their first Rose Bowl win since 1972, sparking a wave of fan support. Fans who come out for the games next season will undoubtedly get to see a quality product as the Cardinal boast a 24-2 record on The Farm over the last four seasons.

Stanford has arrived as a power program in college football and now they’ll have the fan support to show for it.